Rune Factory Valentine's Week 2015
by Red Fez
Summary: A compilation of the oneshots/drabbles I'm writing for this event. Various pairings from various games in the series. Also posted on AO3.
1. First Meeting (EvelynGaius)

Day One - First Meeting (Evelyn/Gaius, RF3)

**Smudged Pencil** \- _He's new in town, she's got ideas._

* * *

The sun hung low in the sky to the west, and Evelyn knew that that meant the shops would be closing soon and all the shopkeepers would soon be spilling out onto the hard worn dirt paths that wove throughout Sharance. Most of the children were out already, and from her seat on the bench, Evelyn could see her sister and her friends playing in the dirt by the general store. Well, playing might not have been the best term - Sofia was standing, wearing her usual formal dress which she didn't want to get anything on while Karina and Raven were sitting. They were talking - well Sofia was; Raven was never much for talking, and Karina was usually content to listen as well.

Evelyn looked around the town, trying to find something. The flowers creeping up the side of the blacksmith's shop caught her eye, and she picked her pencil up to begin sketching. Soon, though, her mind wandered and the flowers began to lose their life and looked more like a pattern than anything. Frustrated, she doodled the rough outline of a knee-length skirt around it before flipping to a new page.

The bell over the blacksmith's shop jingled then, and Evelyn looked up to see who it was. Surprisingly, it was no one she knew. She knew she'd remember if she'd ever met the man before, but alas his was a completely unfamiliar face.

Evelyn set aside her sketchpad and pencil, and skipped over to him. She stuck her left hand out, just as she'd been taught. "Hey, I'm Evelyn," she introduced herself with a smile. Without waiting for a response, she continued, "You're not from around here, are you? I've never seen you before."

He shook his head. "I've just arrived - I'm going to be working at the blacksmith's." He smiled brightly and shook her hand. "My name's Gaius."

She wrinkled her nose slightly - she'd never been too fond of the interior of the shop (it was, in her opinion, too hot with too many things to injure oneself on.) But she digressed.

"You're probably going to be staying a while, then. Do you know where you're living?" she asked, a smile appearing on her face again.

Gaius nodded, "I'm staying at the blacksmith's, and," he shrugged at this point, "I'm planning on being around a while." He glanced around.

Still smiling, Evelyn said, "C'mon, I'll show you around town! But first I need to drop something off at home." She went back to the bench where she'd abandoned her sketchpad and picked it up again, Gaius trailing after her.

He pointed at the sketchpad. "You draw?" he asked.

She nodded. "It's more of a hobby than anything, but yeah." She blushed slightly. "Most of the time, it doesn't turn out very well."

He frowned, and opened his mouth to say something, but she continued talking.

"I can show you some of my drawings sometime," she offered, "But for now, let's introduce you to everyone!" She grabbed his hand and, with her sketchbook in the other hand, pulled him through the streets, where people were just beginning to mill around after work.

"You're going to love it here!" Evelyn exclaimed with a light laugh.

He smiled in return and nodded. "I don't doubt it."


	2. Nightmares (KyleBarrett)

Day Two - Nightmares (Kyle/Barrett, RF2)

**Beneath a Starlit Sky** \- _The cool air always helped clear his mind._

* * *

Clammy hands wrapped around his arms and legs. It felt like he was being smothered. He could feel the hands pulling him somewhere, but everything was so dark.

Beads of sweat shone on his skin as he sat up in bed, gasping for air. His entire body shook with small tremors, though thankfully his partner remained unaware of his waking. He reached up, running a hand through his hair and wiping some of the sweat away with the back of his hand.

He could still feel the phantom hands reaching for him, a remnant of the dream, and he shook himself, as if that would chase the feelings away.

Kyle had already woken Barrett up multiple times with his night terrors, he didn't exactly want to make it any sort of common occurrence. Already, the nightmare was beginning to fade, though the fright it had brought with lingered.

Kyle knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, so he slipped from the bed, taking care not to wake Barrett, who rolled over in his sleep, reaching out to where Kyle had just been laying. Kyle snorted in laughter - given Barrett's normally cool demeanor, one wouldn't expect him to be much of a cuddler. But Kyle knew better.

He dropped a kiss to the brunette's forehead and, despite knowing Barrett was asleep and likely couldn't hear him, whispered, "I'll be right back."

Kyle left the room and quietly closed the door behind him. The air inside was still, and almost felt stifling. He walked down the stairs and out the front door, where he stopped and sat down on the ground, despite the chilly frost. Inhale...exhale. Kyle didn't know how long he sat there, watching the night sky, but at the back of his mind he registered the sound of a door opening and closing before someone sat down beside him, a line of warmth pressing against his side.

Neither said anything for a few heartbeats. Until Barrett yawned, the only noises were the birds and insects just waking up.

Kyle nudged his boyfriend. "If you're tired, go back to bed."

Barrett defiantly shook his head. "Not that I like the cold hard ground, but I'm not going back in without you."

"Barrett..." Kyle sighed.

"What are you doing out here, anyway?"

Another sigh from Kyle.

Barrett leaned away from him slightly, narrowing his eyes at him. "Did you have another nightmare?"

Kyle glared back before deciding it was pointless to deny it. "Yeah, I did. I didn't want to disturb you, though."

Barrett laughed, a sound Kyle rarely got to hear despite having been with him for over two years now. "Idiot." Kyle's brow furrowed. "Most people have nightmares," he explained.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "What are yours about, then?"

Barrett stiffened slightly. "Who said I have any?"

"You just said most people have them," Kyle pointed out.

Barrett frown before leaning back over on Kyle, resting his head on Kyle's shoulder. "I'd rather not talk about it."

Kyle conceded to that. "Alright, but remember, we're supposed to share these things with each other."

Barrett snorted in laughter. "Sharing's not our thing, Kyle. I don't like talking about myself, and you've got your amnesia."

Kyle rested his head on Barrett's, and considered what he'd said. "I can accept that."

Silence fell again, this time broken by Kyle's yawn.

Barrett raised his head, jostling Kyle. "Come on, let's go back in."

Kyle nodded and stood, waiting for Barrett to stand as well. Together, they entered their dark house.


	3. Confession (ForteMargaret)

Day Three - Confession (Forte/Margaret)

**Two Lonely Stars** \- _Her wish didn't come true, but it kind of did._

* * *

Forte was already at the top of the observatory. She'd taken her helmet off, tucking it under her arm. Being Christmas, it was chilly outside, but that didn't bother the knight much.

She gazed up at the sky, seeking out the first glimmer of a star. The sun hadn't quite set yet, so there was still time for them to appear - along with the person she was waiting for.

A few more minutes passed then Margaret stepped out onto the landing, looking flustered. "Sorry, Doug and Dylas got into a fight. Can you believe it? On Christmas."

Forte smiled. "Don't worry, Meg. Those two will give it up someday." She looked back to the sky.

"Oh-" Forte heard Margaret say, and the knight looked at her. "I miss the ground," the elf said in a small voice, fear evident in her expression as she gazed down.

"Come here," Forte said, holding a hand out to the blonde, "Just don't look down and you'll be okay."

Margaret nodded, and looked at Forte. She grabbed her hand at let herself get pulled toward the knight. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Forte responded, releasing Meg's hand. "Now let's make our wishes and go inside."

Margaret nodded fervently and sought out the proper star. Finding it, she closed her eyes and appeared to be mouthing something.

Fort looked away and made her own wish. Please... just let me know how she feels about me.

-x-

It had been almost a year since Christmas, and since then, they'd seen nearly all their friends receive their wishes. Of course, some had kept quiet, not saying what they'd wished for, but some of them, the two girls could just tell.

Forte's wish hadn't come true yet, and she didn't know if Margaret's had either. Finally, she decided to suck it up and outright confront Meg.

They'd agreed to meet outside the restaurant after Meg was done working to talk, but now, when Forte was actually waiting for her to appear, the knight couldn't help but wring her hands in nervousness. What if Margaret rejected her? At least Forte knew she wouldn't laugh - it wasn't in the elf's nature, but still.

Forte paced in front of the restaurant, not wanting to go in and be nervous in front of Meg before they could talk.

The door opened, and Forte stopped dead, looking at over, expecting Margaret, but it was only Leon. He gave her an odd look as she resumed her pacing, and called out, "Has the ground offended you in a way that calls for you to wear it down?"

Forte ignored him.

The next time the door opened, it was Doug and Dylas, who despite having been together for just over a season, were arguing like usual. They didn't notice Forte.

Finally, then, Margaret stepped out. "Meg!" Forte said happily and stepped over to her.

She gave Forte a tired smile. "Let's go back to my house and we'll talk."

The pit of nerves already seated in Forte's stomach worsened.

"So what did you wanna tell me?" Margaret asked brightly after they were in.

"Oh, you see," Forte said, "I, uhm, like you."

Margaret laughed. "I like you, too! Isn't that wonderful, we both like each other!"

The nerves seemed to be tangling. "Er, I don't think you understand. I like you," she repeated, emphasizing like this time.

"Oh-" Margaret clapped a hand to her mouth.

Silence.

Then, it seemed like Margaret had a million things to say at once.

"My wish - I feel the same - This is wonderful -"

She kept talking until Forte finally made sense of what she was saying and cut her off with a kiss.


End file.
